Bush (DODO*) Plays Politics With His Own Religious Beliefs

Openly Religious, to a Point (washingtonpost.com): "Bush has said many times that he is a Christian, believes in the power of prayer and considers himself a 'lowly sinner.' But White House aides said they do not know whether the president believes that: the Bible is without error; the theory of evolution is true; homosexuality is a sinful choice; only Christians will go to heaven; support for Israel is a biblical imperative; or the war in Iraq is part of God's plan.

Some political analysts think there is a shrewd calculation behind these ambiguities. By using such phrases as the 'culture of life,' Bush signals to evangelical Protestants and conservative Catholics that he is with them, while he avoids taking explicit stands that might alienate other voters or alarm foreign leaders. Bush and his chief speechwriter, Michael J. Gerson, are 'very gifted at crafting references that religious insiders will understand and outsiders may not,' said the Rev. Jim Wallis, editor of the evangelical journal Sojourners." [--snip--]

On the question of salvation, Bush has also adopted a nuanced position. In a Houston Post interview in 1994, as he was beginning his first run for governor, he suggested that heaven is open only to those who have accepted Jesus as their savior. Though to many Christians that is a basic article of faith, the comment caused a small furor among Jews in Texas and threatened to become a bigger problem when Bush considered running for president.

In 1998, he sent a letter of apology to the Anti-Defamation League stressing his respect for all faiths, and throughout the 2000 campaign he denied ever having made any exclusivist claim about salvation

*DODO - Doesn't Obey Direct Orders